The Barclays trader who hurled abuse, racist insults and a sheet of metal at Chinese workers

November 7th, 2012

In a fresh outbreak of Mad Banker Disease, Barclays head of foreign-exchange strategy, Asia-Pacific ex-Japan, Olivier Desbarres (pictured above), has had to be ‘let go’ after an altercation outside his house in Singapore. Desbarres, who was hired from Credit Suisse last year, seems to have taken exception to the noise emanating from a construction site near his home. But he did not handle the situation too well, hurling abuse and a sheet of metal at the construction workers. Singapore police are now reported to be investigating the matter.

If its executives thought that Barclays had a cultural problem in London, they perhaps need to broaden their horizons to Asia.

In a rant that has set Singapore abuzz, the bank’s head of FX strategy in Asia — now its former head, I should say — has been filmed screaming abuse at local construction workers near his house for making too much noise.

The Birkenstock-clad trader continues, unconvincingly: “I have a life. I have a family. You break that, I will find your f*cking family. I can find it very easily — I’m a man with resources.” The berserk banker, who I can reveal was one Olivier Desbarres, then snatches up a large sheet of metal and hurls it into the construction pit, luckily avoiding causing any injuries.

Noticing that he is on film, Mr Desbarres adds: “You’re filming me? You think that’s good? Put your f*cking phone down because I’m going to wait for you to come out and take that phone and shove it up your f*cking ass.”

Barclays preferred not to comment, but I understand that Mr Desbarres, who started his job only in August last year, has now left the bank to spend more time in his Birkenstocks.

Singapore — where Libor rigging activity seems to have been rampant until very recently — is rapidly emerging as being almost as much of a cesspit as London for British banks.